Ascent from Tartarus
by Enthusiastic Fish
Summary: Entry for the NFA Furies Challenge. Set in season 2. Focuses on Kate, Paula Cassidy and Faith Coleman...with a generous dose of Tim, for good measure. Now complete!
1. Prologue: Outnumbered

**A/N:** This was written for the NFA Furies Challenge. The idea was to write a story involving three women from NCIS getting revenge for one of the men of NCIS. We were to choose our characters and write whatever came to mind. Thus, I chose (since it was a challenge) to write two characters I've never written before. My Furies are Kate, Paula and Faith Coleman (whom we haven't seen for years, unfortunately). Tim is also a main character, but in this case, the Furies are the focus.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own NCIS (wish I did) and I am not making any money from it (wish I was)...I did not make up the mythology related in the following story...that belongs to the ancient Greeks and Romans, although I'm sure they won't mind me using their ideas. :)

* * *

**Ascent from Tartarus  
**by Enthusiastic Fish

_Setting: Season 2 sometime after Heartbreak; so both Kate and Paula are still alive...and Faith Coleman is around._

**Prologue: Outnumbered**

_Erinyes. Eumenides. Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone. The Furies. In Greek mythology, they were born from the castration of Uranus by his son Chronos. When Chronos was overthrown by Zeus, they offered fealty to him, although they are not ruled by him. The Erinyes are beyond being ruled. They are the executioners both on earth and in the underworld. It is said that they lie quiescent until such time as they are called into service or that they lie in Tartarus, tormenting the sinful souls who dwell there. They are they who punish the wicked, who turn murder into madness. They are the terror of those who would commit crime. The fear of them felt by mankind was so great that their names were rarely even used. Instead, the fearful called them Eumenides, the kind ones, a desperate euphemism to hold them off...and away they would remain until... Although later artists would depict them differently, ancient art reveals black-clad bodies, snakes for hair and blood running from their eyes. Once invoked, they are implacable. No one can call them off. The Erinyes will pursue their victim until punishment has been meted out. They are the Furies. ...and they are all women._

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"So, McGee, how will you survive?" Tony asked with a leer.

"Better than with you around, DiNozzo," Tim muttered to himself.

Tony ignored him. "All these women around...you're going to be such a hen-pecked little probie that you'll be _begging_ for me to come back."

"Right, whatever," Tim replied, trying to hide his faint blush. Tony and Gibbs were heading to some sort of required training in San Diego for two weeks. Tony was excited; Gibbs seemed merely resigned. Tim himself had hoped to be picked for it, but Tony, being the senior, had been chosen. He had already regaled Tim with tales of scantily clad women on beaches...needing _someone_ to spread suntan oil on their backs. Tim didn't pay too much attention to that. He was much more worried about being at the mercy of Kate, Paula, who had been TAD-ed for the time being, and Abby who was mad at him again. Then, of course, there could be any number of ways for him to stick his big foot in his mouth...again. He wasn't sure what he had done this time, but it must be serious because she wasn't talking to him.

He didn't know Paula much except from what Tony had told him...and that was questionable. Kate had only said that she was a good agent. Tim didn't mind, but he _was_ a bit nervous. Paula was an unknown variable, and he was unsure enough of himself as it was.

"You don't even know the half of it, Probie," Tony was saying.

"Huh?" Tim looked up at him in confusion.

"Gibbs tried to get us out of this little jaunt on account of a new case...a case involving _JAG_."

"Don't most of our cases end up involving JAG? They _are_ the lawyers."

"Not just _any_ lawyers. We're talking about..."

"Agent DiNozzo, I thought you would be gone already."

Tony straightened and turned around. "Commander! So nice to see you..." He looked her up and down. "...and your extremely organized attache again."

"DiNozzo! Let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

Tony grinned maliciously at Tim. "On your six, Boss!" He stopped at his desk, grabbed his bag and headed for the elevator.

There was a moment when Tim wanted to run after them, but with Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman looking down at him, he didn't dare do anything at all. The last time he had seen her was when they had proved that Corporal Yost was not a murderer. ...when they had all lied to make sure that Ernie didn't get arrested and lose his medal.

"C-Commander," he said, trying to smile.

"Agent..."

"McGee, ma'am. Agent McGee."

"Oh, yes. Agent McGee. So, you're stuck here with all the women, are you?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am...I mean, no, ma'am. I mean..."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't be so timid, Agent McGee. I don't usually bite...it's much too unsanitary."

Tim's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. Faith just smiled again and settled herself at Gibbs' desk.

"McGee!" Kate's voice was a welcome reprieve.

He stood up. "Good morning, Kate!"

"Did Tony and Gibbs leave already?"

"Yes."

"Thank goodness. I did _not_ want to hear anything else about the San Diego office from Tony."

"He's gone," Tim said.

The elevator doors opened one last time, revealing the third member of the team during these two weeks.

"Good morning, Agent Todd," Paula said. "How are you doing?" The question was more than a simple pleasantry. The last case they'd worked together had ended with Kate shooting an innocent man in a suicide-by-cop. Paula obviously still felt guilty about it.

Kate smiled, although it was not without a tinge of sadness. "I'm fine, Paula. Thanks."

"You can set up at Tony's desk, Agent Cassidy," Tim put in, feeling a bit out of his depth with all these women. He couldn't even keep Abby from getting mad at him.

"You think I _want_ to be at Tony's desk, Agent McGee?"

Tim blushed. "I...that is, I didn't...I was just..."

"McGee, she's just teasing you," Kate said.

Tim blushed more brightly and slunk down behind his monitor. The three women met each other's gazes and exchanged smiles of understanding. _What an inexperienced man._

"McGee, we're going to have to toughen you up a bit," Kate said, grinning as Tim's head tentatively rose above his computer screen.

"What?"

"You can't be intimidated by us. How will you be intimidating to the people we chase down?"

"You're much more intimidating than criminals," Tim said and then blushed again and hid his head.

Paula chuckled aloud. "I don't think I've ever had a better compliment. Have you, Commander?"

Faith, who had been setting out the contents of her attache case, which were, of course, compulsively organized, shook her head. "I don't think so, either. Agent McGee," she said.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Are you ready for two weeks in our company? I realize that Agent DiNozzo and Agent Gibbs are gone and you might be feeling a bit outnumbered."

Suddenly, Tim sat up, his face still bright red, but his smile was slightly less panicked. "Ma'am, I look forward to it."

Paula laughed. "You ready to be one of the girls?"

"Uh...as long as you don't tell Tony, Agent Cassidy."

"Then, for the duration of this TAD, I am Paula," she said.

"Faith."

Tim's eyes were wide. "I'm Tim...ma'am...er..." He looked greatly daring as he nearly whispered, "Faith, Paula."

"Now, let's get started," Kate said, taking charge. "Faith, you're here as a go-between, correct?"

"More or less. The two JAG officers who turned up dead hadn't even been declared missing, but the ME called the time of death at least a week earlier."

"Are the bodies in transit to Ducky?"

"Yes. They should be here this afternoon. The Norfolk office was strangely willing to give up jurisdiction."

"I'm sure they were," Kate said, grimly. There was a shakeup going on at Norfolk that was unsettling everyone. The less work they had to deal with, particularly involving JAG, the better. "So, give us a quick rundown."

"Very well," Faith said, standing up. She handed out meticulously copied files. "Lt. Andrew Lloyd Ricks and Captain Phoebe Pikeman were scheduled for transfers to the Regional Legal Service Office on the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Lt. Ricks requested leave to pack his belongings, as did Captain Pikeman."

"Were they–?" Paula began.

"So far as anyone knew, they were not romantically linked. They worked in different areas and only associated casually, although I'm certain that is an angle you will have to investigate. Because both were on leave and both were being transferred, no one noticed their absence as anything other than routine. However, two days ago, they were found floating in the Chesapeake. Both were killed in the same fashion, according to the ME."

"How?" Tim asked.

"Throats slashed nearly to the point of decapitation."

Tim gulped.

"With so little progress being made since the bodies were discovered, JAG decided to have someone liaise between JAG and NCIS. I arrived at Norfolk only to be told that the case was being transferred here. They have arranged for all pertinent materials to be transported along with the bodies, but you may also wish to go to Norfolk yourselves. For the duration of this case, I am at your disposal."

"Nice to have you with us, Faith," Kate said, smiling. "Well, let's get to work."


	2. Chapter 1: Attack

**Chapter 1: Attack**

_"May his soul suffer all torments that the Erinnyes (Avenging Fiends) devise for villains!" - Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 5.470_

The words coming out of the mouth of the ensign who had murdered the two JAG lawyers were bad enough to turn the air blue. He called the NCIS agents every foul word in the book, plus a few that Tim had never even _heard_ before. He had seemed to go crazy, telling them all that they'd be punished for their sins, that they couldn't do this, that he'd get even, that this was only the beginning.

"You'll be judged! All of you! You've destroyed yourselves! I absolve myself of any wrong that should befall you!"

Tim didn't know how they did it, but Kate and Paula remained as cool and calm as if he had been inviting them over for Sunday tea. The only indication of their distaste was how roughly they shoved him into the car. After the car door was closed, the two of them grimaced.

"Who's driving him back to NCIS?" Paula asked.

"Can we muzzle him?" Kate asked. "Maybe duct tape?"

"I'll do it," Tim said quickly.

"Thanks, Tim, but you need to have someone riding shotgun," Kate said.

"I can go. Tim doesn't deserve to suffer all by himself," Paula said. "Well, are you ready to learn more unspeakable words?"

"The sooner we get going, the sooner we can get rid of him," Tim shot back in a rare demonstration of backbone. All during the last week, he had kept himself carefully at the bottom of the ladder. He was the probie, after all, and no matter how nice everyone was, they were all more experienced...and they outnumbered him. Abby had warmed up to him enough to grunt when he came in the room, but no more than that. He hadn't dared ask her what he had done wrong. He just gave the evidence and then left. Actually, he had spent a lot of his time with Faith, working through reports, making evidence requests and going over the statements already taken. She was weird, no question, with her glass of perfectly-sharpened pencils and her various accouterments laid out just so...but she was extremely good at her job and she gave respect when respect was warranted. It only took a couple of days for Tim to accept her idiosyncrasies, although he was never completely comfortable around her. She seemed too...he wasn't sure of the word for it. It was as if there was a wall, not impenetrable, but still there nonetheless. Two weeks would not break it down.

Paula smiled in response to his quip and gestured grandly toward the car. She seemed constantly amused by Tim's personality, as if there was something she couldn't quite get. Tim didn't try to focus on that; it only made him nervous. Instead, he got into the car on the driver's side and began the interminable trip back to NCIS with Ensign Moore still swearing up a storm in the back seat.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What...a..._relief_," Paula said, throwing herself into the chair at Tony's desk. "I thought we'd never get away from him. He's a few cards short of a full deck."

Tim nodded fervently. "I was almost ready to agree with him when he told me I was going to hell."

Kate laughed. "Tim, you're probably the least likely of any of us to have a seat there."

"Is he really crazy?" Faith asked, seriously.

"If he's not, there's something else wrong...drugs or something," Tim said. "He said that they were martyrs to a cause, but he wouldn't say what the cause is. We're preventing...what was it, Paula?"

"...the coming of..._something_," Paula said. "I think the word was made up. I couldn't make it out. He's going to need psychiatric evaluation, but at the moment, he truly believes what he's saying...and he really hates us for stopping him...from doing whatever he thinks he's doing."

"Could there be someone else involved?" Faith asked.

"None of the evidence points to that," Kate said. "In fact, everything pointed to Ensign Moore, once we found it. I got a couple of guys to help me get a blood sample so that Abby can run a tox screen. Whatever the reason for his current insanity, the evidence points to him as the killer."

Faith nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for a psyche exam and we'll go from there." She stood up. "It's been a pleasure working with you all."

Tim stood up automatically, as he always did. It was a habit he couldn't break and it always brought secret smiles to the women's faces. A gentleman, through and through.

"Wait, Faith," Kate said suddenly. "Can you stick around until we get finished tonight?"

"Why?"

"It's been a nice week, double homicide notwithstanding. We should get dinner. Girls' night out."

Faith smiled and stared at Tim who managed to blush yet again. "Girls...plus our young field agent here."

"Of course, Tim, you're a part of the team!" Kate agreed.

"I wouldn't...I don't want to be..."

"We want you to come, Tim," Paula said. "You're one of the girls, remember?"

Tim blushed again, but he smiled back. "Okay." He paused and then said, "...but I'm not wearing pink again."

Everyone laughed. The case had seen them all staying late at night. Kate discovered after the first night that Tim didn't even go home. He slept at his desk, snoring sonorously. He had taken her order to work until he dropped much too literally. That hadn't stopped her from inflicting her first practical joke with the adroit aid of Paula, however. Tim had been so far gone that he had actually not even stirred when Paula helped Kate remove Tim's rather staid tie and replace it with one that was flourescent pink. It clashed horribly with his suit, but they had both assumed that he would notice. How could he not?

He didn't. Tim woke up with a start when Faith arrived and felt embarrassed at being caught sleeping at his desk. So he had begun working hard and hadn't even glanced down...or up. It was four hours later when he had managed to trip over his desk chair that he had finally noticed the tie he was wearing. The three women had been trying madly to hold in their laughter, but when he finally noticed ("What happened to my tie?"), they had all burst out laughing and after a few mortified seconds, Tim had begun laughing as well. He showed that he did have a good sense of humor by wearing the awful tie the rest of the day, even when Paula commented that he was wearing more pink than she ever had.

"All right, then, let's get as much out of the way as we can. We'll still have plenty to do tomorrow, and there's lots to do tonight," Kate announced.

Silence fell over the four desks as the girls...plus Tim worked hard to collate all the evidence and get things ready for the next morning. Finally, at seven, Kate called an end to their work and they all packed up to go.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The host at the restaurant looked frankly jealous as Tim came in with three good-looking women and asked for a table. Tim saw his expression and thought about saying they were just his colleagues, but he couldn't help keeping that little piece of information to himself.

_If Tony could see me now,_ he thought, happily. He didn't kid himself that he was suave and stylish like Tony was, but he had been...well, less awkward around these three strong-willed women than even _he_ would have expected. It wasn't like they were suddenly bosom buddies, but in spite of the fact that they still teased him about being "one of the girls", he felt almost comfortable with them.

Throughout the evening, they talked and laughed...and made Tim blush more than once with jokes that he understood much too well. They liked him. He was a gentleman. He wasn't confident. He had plenty of flaws, but he had an innocence about him that drew them all in. Perhaps it was the way he occasionally surprised them by saying something witty or by being suddenly confident. Perhaps it was his stuttering and stammering when he wasn't sure of what he was saying. Perhaps it was just how obviously hard he was working to get the job done and to stay on their good side. Whatever it was, Tim was fun to work with.

There was an extra sense of contentment at their table, relief that they had managed to catch an obviously deranged killer, a sense of achievement at being able to follow the clues Moore had left behind, satisfaction at getting justice served. It was hard to end the little impromptu gathering, but all too soon it would be morning and finally, they got the check and left the restaurant.

"How are you all getting home?" Tim asked.

"You want to split a taxi, Paula?" Kate asked.

"Sure. That'll get us both pretty close. See you tomorrow."

Kate and Paula stepped to the street and hailed a cab. They gave a last wave to Faith and Tim and then were gone.

"What about you, Faith?" Tim asked and then flushed when he remembered. "Oh, yeah, you drove. Sorry."

"Tim, it's okay. How are _you_ getting home?"

"Oh, I always take the bus," Tim said. "It saves me money. It's good for the environment...it..." he trailed off. "You don't really care about all that."

"No, Tim. I really don't, but you don't have to apologize all the time, you know."

"Sorry...er...Gibbs keeps telling me that, too."

Faith smiled and shook her head. "Apologies are sometimes necessary, but don't overdo it."

"Yes, ma'am. Er...good night, Faith. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Tim." Faith began to walk to her car and Tim headed for the nearest Metro stop. It wasn't far away...but it was too far.

He turned the corner. Faith disappeared from view and suddenly so did everything else. Rough hands grabbed him and pulled him into an alleyway. He was thrown to the ground and then, he was being beaten. Kicks, hard kicks, meant to inflict as much pain and damage as possible rained down on him from what seemed like every direction. He heard strange voices saying things about punishment...and justice...and, if he'd had the time to spare, he would have noticed that it was the same things Ensign Moore had been saying...but he didn't have time. Time meant nothing. All he felt was the pain. He was pretty sure that he had screamed once or twice, but after a while that had been too draining. He wished they would kick him in the head and knock him out...but they didn't. Still, the kicks came. Then, there was a voice in his ear.

"You're not the first...and you're not the last."

Broken, bleeding, in agony, Tim lay on the ground. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could barely moan. There were broken bones. Broken veins. Tim knew that if he stayed where he was, he would die. If they had meant what they said, the others could be in danger as well. He couldn't let that happen. He pulled himself to his hands and knees, coughing and groaning in pain as he did so. One aching limb at a time, he moved himself toward the sidewalk. Halfway there, he realized that what he had thought was drool coming out of his mouth was actually blood. Tim was having a hard time breathing as every time he tried to inhale, it felt as though someone was stabbing a spear through his chest. At the alley opening, Tim collapsed, one hand out on the sidewalk, the rest of him on the ground.

"Help..." he whispered. It was the loudest sound he could make. "Help...Kate...Paula...Faith..." His eyes closed and darkness took over consciousness.

Kate. Paula. Faith.

Alecto. Megaera. Tisiphone.

Erinyes called up from Tartarus. ...only they hadn't heard the call.

...yet.


	3. Chapter 2: Awakening

**Chapter 2: Awakening**

_"The array of warring Eumenides Erinyes so oft summoned from the depths of hell." - Statius, Thebaid 1.227_

Kate couldn't settle. She had this feeling that something was very wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. It made her antsy, even as she tried to get ready for bed. Maybe Gibbs' gut had been temporarily transferred to her during his absence. She smiled to herself at the thought of Gibbs running around in California without his gut. Still, she was restless. What could be wrong?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Paula had intended to make an early night of it, but for some reason, the case was too much on her mind. Instead of going to bed, she curled up on her couch and began to review her notes. Something was pinging at the edges of her subconscious, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Faith sat in her car for a few moments, looking through her rearview mirror as Tim turned the corner. She knew where he lived and it was out of the way for her...but still, she could have offered a ride, although he obviously didn't expect it. That was another thing about Tim. He didn't push...for anything really. She didn't have much to back up her assessment seeing as this was the first time she really had gotten to know him, but he was so...if she didn't know him at all, she would have said wimpy. It wasn't really that. It was that he wasn't aggressive, and he didn't assert himself when he should.

Even though he had vanished around the corner, her gaze lingered on the empty space where he had been. Something didn't feel right, like when she just _knew_ that she had dropped something in her car and it was rolling around under the seat. She couldn't see it, but she knew it was there.

She sat for a few more seconds before shaking her head and starting the engine.

Still...she didn't get much sleep that night either.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate was still awake in bed at 1:30 a.m. when her phone started ringing.

_This is it,_ she thought, even though she didn't know why.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is Special Agent Caitlin Todd. Who is this?"

Kate sat up as the voice registered in her ears.

"When? Is he all right? Yes, I'll be right there."

She hung up the phone and threw on some clothes before running out the door.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Cassidy," Paula said. She was still awake, although not for much longer. She hadn't found anything in her notes and she had been dozing. All thoughts of sleep disappeared, however, when she heard Kate's panicked voice. "Where? When? Absolutely." She hung up and began to leave, but she paused, remembering the unofficial fourth member of the team. As she ran out the door, she paused to grab her phone.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Faith was asleep. Sleep was to be taken whenever offered and so she had been taking it. However, it was not a deep sleep and she was alert on the first ring.

"Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman speaking." She sat up in shock. "What hospital?" Faith looked at her watch and nodded. "I can be there in fifteen minutes...maybe fourteen."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I'm looking for Timothy McGee's room," Kate said urgently to the nurse on duty. "I was just called and told he was here."

"What is his name again?"

"Timothy McGee. He's an NCIS agent."

The nurse looked less than impressed, but she looked him up. "He's in the ICU."

Kate walked off down the hall.

"...but they're not allowing visitors right now!" she shouted after her.

Kate didn't stop. She was a woman on a mission and it would take more than a night-shift nurse to halt her progress. When she reached the ICU, she gave the nurse on duty there a glare worthy of Gibbs and was subsequently admitted.

It was quiet in the ICU. Only clicks and beeps, monitoring the silent occupants. Tim was in a corner. His face was unmarred...mostly. There were a few grazes, but nothing major. Even so, his face was pasty white. He was on a ventilator, and the EKG was marking a slow heartbeat. Kate reached out...for Tim's chart. What she saw there was nearly enough to make her ill, even after all the bodies she had seen in her time at NCIS. Multiple contusions. Flail chest. Pulmonary contusion. Broken ribs. Pneumothorax. Internal bleeding.

"Who did this to you, Tim?" she whispered.

The pale figure in the bed did not answer. He was, as the saying went, dead to the world.

"He's alive?"

The whispered question took Kate by surprise and she spun around to confront the invader.

"Paula. Yes, he's alive...although I don't know how." She handed over the chart. The fact that they technically weren't supposed to be reading it mattered not at all.

"We saw him...just a few hours ago. How did this happen?"

"I don't know."

"What happened?" Faith asked as she walked in. "I saw him head for the bus stop. He was fine."

"We don't know yet, Faith," Kate said. "We'll need to get the police report."

"Are you going to call Gibbs?" Paula asked.

Kate hesitated. She knew she probably should. Technically, this wasn't her team. She was only temporarily in charge during his absence. He would want to know...but Gibbs wasn't here. _She_ was, and it was _her_ responsibility to protect Tim and to find out what had happened. It was as if that thought lit a fire in her brain. Kate knew she would not stop until she found the guilty party...and maybe not even then.

"No. I'm not going to call Gibbs. It would take longer to find him and get him back here than it will probably take to find out what happened. No."

The other two women nodded just as firmly. Tim was _their_ teammate. Even if it was only for another week. That didn't matter. What mattered was that Tim was part of the team. He had been seriously injured. What mattered was bringing whoever had done that to him to justice.

...but vengeance...or justice could wait for the moment. Right now, they would be with their fallen comrade until they were called away. No doctor would keep them from staying. No kind-hearted soul could send them off. Together, the three women held a silent vigil for their friend and colleague.

All the while, the machines clicked and beeped, keeping Tim alive.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was like fighting his way up from the bottom of a deep chasm. He heard strange voices echoing off the cliff walls. It was hard...and extremely painful. He also felt some discomfort with his breathing...as if...someone else was breathing for him. It was very dark.

_Maybe I could try opening my eyes,_ he thought...what a notion. He could still hear the voices.

"_Is he going to make it?"_

"_He has so far and that's a good sign. He crashed on the table more than once."_

"_That's not very encouraging."_

"_It's the best I can do at the moment, ladies...and you really shouldn't be in here right now. This is the ICU and my patient is recovering."_

"_Your _patient_ is an NCIS Special Agent who was viciously attacked for reasons currently unknown. If you think that we will simply leave him alone and open to another attack, you're crazy."_

"_We will not leave. Tim is part of the team and we don't abandon our team."_

"_Very well, but for now, you have to get out of the way while I examine him. May I suggest you visit the cafeteria? The coffee there is terrible, but it _is_ coffee. You all sound like you need it."_

The conversation bounced around the inside of his head, but Tim couldn't bring himself to open his eyes yet, to embrace the waking world. There was a lot of pain waiting for him there...and he wasn't ready for it. So, he stayed asleep.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I got the police report," Kate announced as she joined the other two at the table.

"Wow, that was fast," Paula commented. "It's only seven in the morning."

"I still have a few connections, a few people who are talking to me," she said wryly. "...although I may have squandered a couple in getting this." She waved the folder.

"So, what does it say?" Paula asked.

Kate shook her head grimly. "You're not going to like this."

"What?"

"The 911 call was placed at 9:42 p.m., just a block away from the restaurant."

"That...that was right after we left," Paula said, going pale. She turned to Faith. "You didn't see anything?"

Faith's eyes were wide. "No, I didn't. I got in my car and watched him go around the corner. I went home."

"We just..._left_ him there," Paula said. "How could we not notice someone there?"

"No, Paula. It's not our fault," Kate said sternly. "We didn't attack Tim. He wasn't in any of our sights. We can't blame ourselves. What we _can_ do is find out who _did_ attack Tim and..."

"...and what?" Faith asked.

The smile which graced Kate's lips was...feral. "...we let them know what a bad idea it is to attack a member of our team."

"Legally?" Faith asked, her expression carefully blank.

"Why would you think otherwise?"

"That's not an answer, Kate, and you know it."

For her answer, Kate slid the file across the table, opening it up to show the photos of Tim's broken body, the bloody spot in the alley where the beating had taken place.

"Tell me, Faith...what do _you_ want to do?" she asked. It was a challenge.

"Let's see if we can find them first."

"All of us?"

"We're a team, are we not?"

Kate nodded, and Paula smiled. With Faith's assent, the Furies had been unleashed.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim struggled toward consciousness. He had heard his team there, and he needed to tell them what had happened. However, the closer he got to actual awareness, the more pain he felt, the more difficult it was to breathe. Still, the need to communicate drove him to continue fighting. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes. He was on a ventilator and he couldn't speak. Every rise and fall of his chest was incredibly painful and if it hadn't been for the fact that the ventilator was forcing him, he would have been tempted to stop breathing all together.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate, Paula and Faith were arguing with the doctor about Tim's status. They had all turned from the bed and were trying to get some sort of indication from him about when Tim would wake up. They refused to accept the idea that Tim might not make it.

"If you think..." Kate began, but then, a flicker out of the corner of her eye stopped her threat. She turned back toward Tim and saw that his eyes were open, his expression one of intense pain and he had weakly waved his hand to get her attention.

"Tim!" Kate exclaimed and, ignoring the doctor completely, returned to the bed.

Tim tried valiantly to smile, but he succeeded only in scrunching up his face in pain. A few tears escaped from his eyes, but he nodded slightly.

"We're here for you, Tim," Paula said, sitting on the other side.

"Can you remove the ventilator?" Faith asked.

"Absolutely not," the doctor said, sounding exasperated. "Agent McGee's lungs are in no state to be operating on their own. They are barely operating satisfactorily as it is. Now, if you can't respect the fact that this is a _hospital_, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Tim shook his head, once again getting everyone's attention. He mimed writing on a piece of paper.

"You know who attacked you, Tim?" Kate asked.

Tim shook his head, winced and mimed again.

Faith, of course, had a pad and a pen. She set the pad gently on Tim's lap and put the pen in his left hand.

"Agent McGee, we'll up your medication..." the doctor began.

Tim shook his head and wrote on the pad.

"Not yet," Kate read. "We can wait, Tim. You don't have to..."

Tim underlined the two words. Then, he started to write again. The expression of agony never went away, but he kept it up even as his hand shook. His determination to write down what he knew only further steeled his colleagues in their own determination to find out who had hurt him...and why. The tears of pain were still falling in lazy rivulets down his cheeks. Privately, each woman vowed to make Tim's attacker suffer for every tear he shed. So far, Tim had been bearing his pain fairly stoically, but when he finished writing, he slumped down in the bed and when Paula took his hand, he squeezed it so tightly that she understood how much it hurt.

"Tim, is this everything?" Kate asked. "Will you let the doctor help you now?"

Tim's eyes closed and he nodded. Grumbling, the doctor stepped forward and added some analgesics to Tim's IV.

"This will probably put you to sleep, Agent McGee. Don't fight it. You'll breathe better without being conscious."

"We'll stay until you fall asleep again, Tim," Kate assured him. Tim nodded but didn't open his eyes. He looked so young, so vulnerable. For just a moment, Kate understood Abby's proclivity to giving hugs. She had never felt such a strong compulsion to embrace Tim before. That thought suddenly brought the other woman in Tim's life into her head. She knew they'd been fighting...or rather, she knew that Abby was mad at Tim, but for the life of her, she didn't know why. What was worse was the fact that Tim didn't seem to know either. Still... _I'll call her later._

They all could see as the pain began to ebb...and Tim began to fall toward sleep once more. That was what he needed. His eyes dragged opened once before sleep claimed him. He smiled at them. Then, he slept. His hand holding Paula's loosened its grip and she laid it gently on the bed. As one, the three Furies stood, ready to take on the world.


	4. Chapter 3: The Search

**Chapter 3: The Search**

_"Thou, O maid Dike lady Justice, that dost report guilty deeds to Jove Zeus, who lookest down upon earth with unerring eyes, ye avenging goddesses Erinyes, thou Divine Law, and thou Poena (Retribution), aged mother of the Furiai Erinyes." _

_- Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 1.730_

"What does he know?" Faith asked, as they strode out of the hospital.

Wordlessly, Kate handed over the pad. The writing was shaky, hard to read. It only made what had happened worse to see this physical representation of what had happened to Tim.

Faith began to read the broken sentences. "At least two men. Pulled me into the alley way. Didn't speak at first. Never saw faces."

"Could it have been random?" Paula asked, trying to read over Faith's shoulder as Kate led them on.

Faith shook her head. "Remember one sentence. One said, 'You're not the first and you're not the last.' Think I remember some other things about punishment and deserving and...guilt. Possible..." she squinted. "...Moore connection?"

"So...we were wrong?"

"Or else Tim is just trying to help out by making hypotheses. All the evidence points to Moore and there's nothing that says he had help." Kate stopped. "Oh, evidence! We need to take Tim's...clothes to Abby."

"Oh, right," Paula said. "I don't know how I forgot. You want me to get them?"

Kate almost refused, almost said it was her responsibility, but then she realized that she'd probably better tell Abby what had happened. Angry or not, she'd want to know...and she'd flip out.

"Yeah, give me a chance to tell Abby."

"They don't even like each other," Faith said.

Kate shook her head. "No, it's worse than that. They like each other entirely too much."

"Of course. That would explain it."

They talked without thinking, without really paying attention. They were just words to cover up what they'd be doing all too soon. Paula turned around and went back into the hospital. Kate and Faith headed back to NCIS.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Abby?" Kate asked tentatively.

"Hey, Kate! You're late this morning!" Abby said, cheerful on the surface, but not all the way through.

"Yeah, uh...I need to tell you something."

"What's up? By the way, there was no trace of drugs in your killer's blood. Either he'd metabolized it already or he's just certifiable."

"Thanks. Abby, I think...maybe you should sit down for this."

Abby turned around. "Did...did something happen to Gibbs and Tony?" Her eyes were wide. "Oh...their plane crashed? I didn't see it on the news!"

"No, Abby," Kate said quickly. "It's nothing to do with Gibbs and Tony. It's...It's about Tim."

Abby's face turned stormy. "What? He's sending you as a go between? He can apologize to me himself."

"Abby!" Kate said sharply.

"Geez, Kate, what's wrong?"

"He's in the hospital, Abby."

"What?"

"Tim's in the hospital, in the ICU. Someone beat him last night, nearly killed him."

Abby was incredulous. "What?"

"Tim's hurt, Abby."

Abby sank down onto her stool. "Is...Is he going to be okay?"

Some of the anger that had been boiling in Kate's head was momentarily supplanted by her own worry.

"We just don't know yet. It's too soon to tell."

"Kate...who did that to him?"

"We're trying to figure that out. Paula's bringing Tim's clothes."

"His clothes? Right. Hairs and stuff. That's...that's what I do," Abby said, her voice sounding more determined.

"That's right. We'd appreciate anything you can find."

Abby bit her lip and nodded. Kate put her hand on Abby's shoulder and tried to smile. Then, she turned to leave. At the door, she paused and turned around.

"You said no drugs in his system?"

"Right. Nothing. Not even cold medicine. So...either he's crazy or..."

"Or he's been playing us," Kate said, steel entering her voice. "He's been _playing_ us. Let me know what you find." She turned around and walked out.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate arranged to have Ensign Moore transferred to interrogation. She and Paula stood in the room staring at him. He seemed almost relaxed at the moment.

"You want to go first?" Paula asked.

"Absolutely." Kate walked out of observation, down the hall and swung the door open. It slammed behind her with a satisfactory bang. Even more satisfactory was the fact that Moore actually jumped slightly at the sound. Then, she wasted no time pressing her advantage.

"Who are you working with, Moore?" she asked, leaning across the table. "Who? I know someone like you isn't smart enough to do it all by yourself. I know you couldn't be doing it all. I know you're not crazy, no matter how much you'd like us to think that. Who?"

Moore was momentarily speechless. So Kate kept talking.

"You killed two JAG lawyers. Fine. There's no question that you're guilty of that. It was sloppy, messy...and a _huge_ mistake." She stood up and walked around the table, her eyes never leaving him. She got right in his face. "A bigger mistake was when whoever you are working with decided to attack an NCIS agent."

"What?" he asked, his eyes betraying his surprise. Kate hid her own exultation that she had made him reveal something.

"Oh, please. Don't give me that. You're already plumping for the death penalty. What's one more felony? It can't make things any worse, now, can it?" She paused. "Oh, wait. It can. Do you know why?"

He shook his head, seemingly mesmerized by her eyes that never move from his own.

"Because we won't stop until we get you and anyone else involved. That's why. We will be there every step of the way. We will not stop and we will not give up. We'll be hovering around you, around your colleagues, whatever it takes to get every...last...one of you." Kate straightened and walked out, slamming the door behind her. She then returned to observation.

"You didn't give him a chance to answer," Paula noted.

"I want him to sweat," Kate said. "I want him to _really_ worry."

They stood in silence and watched him for a few minutes. He kept looking at the door and then at the mirror. Then, Paula took her turn. She cracked her knuckles melodramatically and then walked into the room.

"Ensign Moore. We have a few things to talk about," she said kindly. She sat down on the chair across the table. He seemed totally unnerved by her.

"What is this good cop, bad cop?" he asked, trying to get back some of the edge.

Paula didn't even address his question. "It has come to our attention that you are not working alone. We have evidence linking you to the attack of Special Agent Timothy McGee. Oh, I know you didn't actually do it. You were in lockup when it happened. That is irrelevant, however, because in the eyes of the law, being an accessory is still punishable. So, who is it that you're working with?"

Moore was silent, thinking he could get away with it. He hadn't yet looked in Paula's eyes, however. If he had, he would have been more worried than he had been when Kate was in his face. Paula's eyes were ice-cold. There was not one drop of sympathy for him. There was no inch of yielding. There was only ice. Her eyes, normally a warm blue, were colder than the Antarctic.

"Do you realize what we could do if you don't help us? You would be impeding a federal investigation, aiding and abetting...and do you know what the most dangerous thing would be?" Her voice was still pleasant.

"What's that?" Moore asked, derisively. He made the mistake of looking at her directly.

Paula smiled and set down her pen, clasped her hands together and leaned forward. "You would be ticking me off."

There was death in her eyes and Moore saw it.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Ensign Moore?"

He remained silent, but she could tell there was something that frightened him even more than she did...and it wasn't Kate.

"You will. Eventually." She stood up and left.

Kate didn't say anything when Paula rejoined her.

"He knows something. This is bigger than him, bigger than two murders. Something bigger than one man with murder on his mind."

"You don't think he did it?" Kate asked.

"Oh, I think he did, and I think he wanted to, but I think we'll find something more. We need to dig deeper. We need to look more into what he was doing on his days off, who he talked to, where he went. _That's_ what I was trying to think of. Something has seemed off in this case, but because we had the murderer, I couldn't figure it out, but this is it. I think if we don't find out who else it is, more people will be danger."

"I think you're right. I caught a flicker in his eyes. He's scared of them...whoever _they_ are." She grinned. "He should be more afraid of us."

Paula returned the smile. "He will be."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A companion to the Furies, less well-known, but a part of the divine retribution, Nemesis was one who gave men their just desserts. Although the modern connotation of Nemesis is negative, she is not evil. Her actions are not evil. They are just. Men who deserve punishment, men who boast of their own strength, men who commit crimes with the hubris to get away with it, they are they who should fear Nemesis. No less than the Furies can she be called off before the task is done._

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Abby was driven. She wanted to run out of the lab, to the hospital, and make Tim okay just by being there, but she knew there was more that she had to do. She had to find out who had nearly killed Tim and make sure that they were punished.

_I'll rip them limb from limb if necessary,_ she said to herself. The music was at its loudest and most angry. She had been angry at Tim before. She couldn't even remember right now exactly what he'd done. He had said something innocently insulting, as he did far too often. It was too easy for him and this time she had decided that he'd figure it out and ask her forgiveness...she just hadn't thought it would take him so long. Now...what if he never got the chance?

Focused on the evidence, Abby made sure that she didn't think of it as Tim's clothes, Tim's blood. It was evidence...and she'd find that one elusive hair, that one little thing that would point the way, show Kate, Paula and Faith where to find the guilty parties.

..._and they will find them. No matter what._


	5. Chapter 4: Justice or Vengeance

**Chapter 4: Justice/Vengeance**

_"Two demon fiends there are, called by the name of Furiae Erinyes, whom darkest Nox (Night) brought forth at one and the same birth with hellish Megaera, breeding all three alike with the twining coils of serpents and giving them wings like the wind . . . the spawn of Nox (Night)."_

_Virgil, Aeneid 12. 848 ff_

Tim opened his eyes, wishing that he felt better than he had the last time he had awakened. He didn't. If anything, it seemed as though he felt worse. He rather thought that he wasn't supposed to be awake right then. His eyes moved around a little bit, wishing now that someone was there with him, that he wasn't alone. The ventilator was still doing his breathing for him, and he wished it wasn't there. Every inhalation brought new pain. Every exhalation made him feel as though shards of glass were moving around in his chest. If he'd had any control over his body, he would have stopped breathing just to stop the pain. He couldn't make himself move. He couldn't even face the idea of reaching for the call button to get someone into the room to help him.

_Help, someone. Anyone...please,_ he thought desperately. The pain seemed unbearable. Why wasn't the doctor coming in to check on him? Why wasn't he passing out or something? Why? Why? Why?

Tim's body began to tense as his awareness increased and his pain grew worse. His heart rate accelerated although his breathing stayed steady. It had to. He had no other choice. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

_Help me!_

The door opened...a shadow across the bed.

It was not a doctor.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Faith walked purposefully down the hallways of the hospital. It seemed as though a confident gait got one into more places than asking for permission. Act like you're supposed to be there and most people unconsciously agreed.

It shouldn't have surprised her that someone else could do the same...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"You're supposed to be dead, fed!"

Faith heard the voice and quickened her pace. She was not ideally dressed for taking someone out (heels...even low practical ones were not ideal), but she had the force of justice (and a bit of fear) on her side anyway. She rounded the corner and saw a man, dressed like a doctor, holding a pillow over Tim's face. The ventilator was hanging uselessly over the bedrail and the EKG showed a skyrocketing heartbeat. Faith didn't spend much time looking at those things, but they entered her brain and were coded and catalogued at lightning speed. Without further thought, beyond hoping that Tim would survive this new attack, she launched herself at the man and he turned in surprise just as she got to him.

The pillow, the man, and Faith toppled over the heart monitor and hit the ground hard. The man fought, but Faith had anger on her side...and gravity. She hit him as hard as she could, recalling every move she'd learned in her hand-to-hand combat classes. True, they were supposed to be for self-defense, but she had no qualms about using them offensively...especially now.

The man was totally unprepared for an angry woman attacking him...he outweighed Faith by several pounds and was actually quite muscular, but he just hadn't expected a Fury...and Fury she was as she attacked with the same measured skill and exactness with which she practiced law. It took mere moments before he was dazed, bruised and completely at Faith's mercy...a dangerous prospect.

"You have made a critical error," she panted. "You are also extremely lucky that my friends weren't here. You would most certainly be dead right now."

The ICU was suddenly flooded with people: security, nurses, doctors. Faith stood up with considerable calm.

"This man was attempting to kill Agent McGee," she said. "I would like to have him arrested and taken to NCIS Headquarters for interrogation. You," she added, pointing toward the hospital staff, "will need to make sure that Tim has suffered no additional injuries."

No one moved for a moment.

"Now!" she shouted. That broke the ice, so to speak, and there was a flurry of activity as the man was handcuffed and dragged away and the doctors swarmed around Tim's bed. Faith waited patiently, putting herself back together in the orderly fashion she infinitely preferred. Goodness, but that had felt good. She hadn't been able to beat him nearly as much as she had wanted to, but she had been able to get in a few good punches...and one thing was certain: she wouldn't be able to do _that _in the courtroom.

A few minutes later, Tim was wheeled out of the ICU, leaving Faith to look after them with concern. She decided to call her fellow Furies and let them know what had just happened.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What? You're kidding," Kate said. "All right. Thanks, Faith."

"What is it?" Paula asked.

"Someone just tried to kill Tim...again. Faith heard him say that Tim was supposed to be dead."

Paula nearly growled. Before Kate could say anything else, she whirled around and stormed out of observation and into interrogation. The door slammed open and then closed as Paula vented all of her anger on it.

"Guess what, Moore!" she announced. "You had better start being helpful...otherwise, there's no reason to keep you around." She stormed right over to the man at the table. "You want to be useful...you know that, right? If you're not useful..." She trailed off and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "I will _not_ accept any refusal. You hear me?"

Kate opened the door to interrogation and ran over to the table. "Paula, calm down!"

"Oh, I'm calm, Kate. Aren't I, Ensign Moore?" she asked, staring the man down. Her eyes were colder than Antarctica. This was the frigid vacuum of space looking into his eyes...sucking him down into their depths.

"I can't tell you anything," he said, sounding for all the world like a teenager.

"Oh, yes, you can," she replied. "You can and you _will_. Got it? One of your friends is on his way over here after yet another attack...and I will _not_ allow that to happen again."

"Paula! Stand down!" Kate insisted, grabbing her arm. Paula resisted for a moment before stalking out of the room. Kate glared at Ensign Moore. "You're very lucky. I was tempted to leave you to her." Then, she followed Paula out...but she wasn't in observation. Kate ran back to the bullpen and Paula was sitting at her desk, fuming.

"This is _wrong_, Kate! Tim was attacked for his part in the investigation! He was doing his job and he was attacked for it! These guys make me sick!"

"Me, too, Paula...but we can't kill them this way."

"Why not?"

Kate smiled. "Too many witnesses."

Paula chuckled and relaxed a fraction. "We have enough problems without being attacked for doing our jobs."

Kate laughed as well, but then she sobered. "We also need to remember what our job is...and as much as I'd like to, it's not about getting revenge. We're still subject to the law and we can't go outside that; otherwise, what separates us from them?"

"Yeah, I know." Paula let out a long sigh. "Maybe it's just sitting in Tony's chair."

"Oh, that's got to be a challenge," Kate replied.

"Is Tim going to be all right?"

"Faith didn't say. He wasn't dead when she called, at least."

"So...what do we know?"

"More than we did before!" Abby announced, running in.

"What is it, Abby?"

"I got a couple of hits on some hairs I got from..." she faltered. "...from Tim's clothes!"

"Great! Tell us," Kate urged.

"Two guys, both with rap sheets. One, former Airman First Class Jason Wilson was dishonorably discharged from the Air Force a few years ago. The other guy, Daniel Symonds, is a civilian, did time for assault and battery."

"Friends?"

"They didn't serve time together," Abby said. "Ensign Moore has no connection with them either that I could see at first glance...but..."

"What, Abby?" Kate asked.

"I had some time on my hands," Abby said, straight-faced, "and so I did some checking into their backgrounds. Guess who the prosecutor in Wilson's case was."

"Not one of our dead JAGs," Paula said.

"Got it in one! Lt. Ricks was the prosecutor and according to court records, he gave a very impassioned plea for severe punishment."

"What did he do?"

Abby grabbed the control for the plasma and turned it on. Then, she tapped at Gibbs' computer to bring up the files. "Sexual assault."

"What about Ensign Moore? How does he fit in?"

Abby shrugged. "Don't know. I can't see any connection other than this case. Symonds was convicted based on the testimony of an eyewitness. Guess who."

"Captain Pikeman?" Kate asked in shock.

Abby nodded.

"This is _way_ too much of a coincidence. It can't be random."

"No way," Paula agreed. "The odds of something like that happening have got to be astronomical."

"I could calculate them if you'd like."

"No, thank you." Paula looked at Kate. "So, who is on the way over here?"

"On the way?" Abby asked.

Kate felt her face drag to an expression of worry.

"What happened?" Abby asked. "Is it Tim?"

Kate nodded. "Faith called. Someone tried to kill Tim...again."

"What?" It was a shriek, but so quick that it sounded almost like a whistle.

"He's alive. He survived, Abby," Kate said.

"Kate! We have to find who's doing this! We can't just leave Tim to...to..."

"We won't. Faith is staying there until she knows how Tim is and we can get some people guarding him. Then, she'll come back and we'll figure this out. We _will_."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim was back in the ICU, looking both better and worse. Better because he was alive, the ventilator back in place, his heartbeat more regular. Worse because there seemed to be something missing from him. His face was drawn, pale, and even unconscious was lined with pain. The doctors had said that Tim must be a very strong man because, not only had his assailant removed the ventilator without skill, he had pressed down on Tim's chest with his weak ribs and lungs, straining already weakened organs. Either problem could have killed Tim, but he hadn't died.

Faith sat next to him and shook her head. The man who had done this would not get away. No technicalities, no lenient juries. No. Justice would be served this time. She would see to it, personally.

As she sat, she told herself that she should just go. The guards were outside the door. Tim was as safe as they could make him...but...

She reached out and touched his limp cold hand. Suddenly, the hand twitched and held hers. Faith looked at Tim's face. His eyes were open, clouded both by pain and drugs, but he looked at her and smiled a very small smile. He mimed writing again.

"Something important you need to say, Tim?" Faith asked, her eyebrows raised.

Tim shook his head, but he mimed again.

"Very well." She fished for her pad and a pen. Tim gripped the pen in his shaking hand and wrote one sentence. Then, the pen dropped from his fingers and he nudged the pad toward her. Faith looked at it and then at Tim. His eyes fluttered and then closed, the drugs dragging him back to unconsciousness.

A tear escaped from her eye and she wiped it away quickly. Then, she took the pad and pen and put them back in her bag...but not before ripping off the page he'd written on and putting it in her pocket, almost like a talisman.

_Thank you for saving me._

She would do more than save him. She would avenge him.


	6. Chapter 5: Discovery

**Chapter 5: Discovery**

_And he spoke of other assaults of the Erinyes (Furies) that are destined to be brought to pass from paternal blood. For the dark bolt of the infernal powers, who are stirred by kindred victims calling for vengeance, and madness, and groundless terrors out of the night, torment and harass a man, and he sees clearly, though he moves his eyebrows in the dark._

_Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 269_

"This isn't Symonds..._or_ Wilson," Kate said. "How many people are involved in this?"

"At least three, from the looks of it," Paula said. "I still think that Moore is the weak link. He's already been here for a while. He knows what we're like, and proximal danger is more of a threat than distant danger."

Kate smiled. "You're right, but this is a lot bigger than a double homicide, I think."

"Definitely."

"Okay, let's get everything we can on these guys. Abby, can you play Tim for a while?"

"Sure."

"Good. I want all the records you can get on them."

"Which ones?"

"All of them: Moore, Wilson, Symonds...and whoever the new guy is...actually, run the new guy's prints first."

"Kate, how am I supposed to do all that at once?"

"Perhaps another helping hand?" Faith asked, as she strode into the bullpen.

"Yes, absolutely."

"Okay, Abby, prints. Paula, go talk to our friend Moore. See if he's any more forthcoming. Faith, can you help gathering records?"

"Sure. What are we looking for?"

"Anything that links the now _four_ people involved in this mess."

"Four?"

"Yeah, Abby found DNA from two guys who had run-ins with your JAG lawyers. Then, we have Ensign Moore, plus the guy responsible for the latest attack on Tim. I'm afraid this is going to get bigger. Wilson was prosecuted by Ricks and Symonds was convicted based on Pikeman's testimony."

"Wow."

"Yeah. We need to see how far this is going to go."

"All right. I'll see what I can find."

"Go for it."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The man they had most recently arrested refused to talk to Paula, although he visibly flinched when Faith came in the room. Luckily, his DNA and fingerprints were much more forthcoming.

"David Christian Holmes," Abby announced. "Another civilian. Convicted of aggravated assault fifteen years ago, got out on parole. Get this: the LEO who arrested him? He was murdered two months ago. Never found who did it. Holmes had an ironclad alibi."

"Okay, at the risk of being Tony, this sounds like a bad movie," Paula said. "Some sort of group agreeing to kill each other's problems?"

"That's what it's looking like right now."

"Okay, so how far does it go? Is it just these four or are there more of them?" Faith asked.

"And why did they go after Tim? If it's just getting revenge, what did Tim do? Why not the rest of us?" Kated pointed out.

"Good question."

"We need to ask Tim."

Paula laughed. "Right. He's not really in the state of mind to tell us about his previous cases."

"Well, we can disregard any cases he did here because he hasn't worked any on his own. He hasn't been lead on any of them either. So, it has to be something at Norfolk...if it were related to the Moore case, surely they would have gone after all of us."

"And how are you going to get through that?"

"I'm going to ask Tim if he remembers any cases in which someone might have held a grudge against him personally."

"Kate!"

"Paula, I don't see any other option here...do _you_?"

Paula sighed. "No, I don't."

"Okay. Abby, work with Faith in figuring out their movements. Paula...lean on our guys. See if any of them are ready to talk."

"Right."

The women scattered, and Kate grabbed her jacket as she headed to the elevator.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim was awake when Kate arrived at the hospital. He didn't look much better, but he didn't look worse either. His eyes lit up when she came into the room.

"Hey, Tim. You're looking better."

Still on the ventilator, Tim couldn't respond, but he rolled his eyes expressively and then winced.

"Okay, you may not believe me, but you really do. Are you feeling any better?" Kate sat down and took out her pencil and paper. She handed them to Tim.

He shook his head.

"What's worst?"

He grasped the pencil and wrote. _Only my chest, my stomach, my head. It only hurts when I breathe, move or think._

"Well, I'm glad you've kept your sense of humor at least."

He rolled his eyes again.

"This has become quite the mess, hasn't it?"

Tim nodded.

"Well, it's become even more of a mess in the last few hours. You up to talking shop?"

Tim's eyes widened expressively.

"Okay, you up to listening to _me_ talk shop?"

He smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Do your doctors agree with that?"

Tim smiled once more but the smile quickly disappeared with a grimace of pain.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded.

"You sure?"

Tim picked up the pencil and wrote, _Go on!_

"Okay, okay. This isn't just about Ensign Moore anymore." Kate watched Tim's eyes widen in surprise, not fear she was happy to note, as she explained all about the strange connections between the four men they currently had in custody.

_So, why me?_ Tim wrote.

"That's why I came here...besides for the opportunity to see your shining happy face."

Tim looked like he would have laughed but that quickly changed into pain. Tears came to his eyes and he squeezed them shut as the ventilator continued to push air into and out of his weakened lungs.

"Oh, Tim. I'm sorry."

He shook his head but didn't open his eyes for a few minutes. Then, finally, he looked at her and tried to smile again.

"We don't have to do this now."

He shook his head and gestured for her to continue.

"We're thinking that you may have simply been next on the revenge list. Can you think of any cases you worked at Norfolk where someone might have held a grudge?"

Tim shook his head.

"Think, Tim. This may have been something relatively small, something that might not have seemed important at the time."

Tim looked up at the ceiling for a few minutes, his body, every so often, hunching in pain. Then, he stared at Kate, his eyes widening and he wrote a name down.

"What is the Orgill case?"

Tim shook his head and wrote again, _Not a case. I witnes_

The pencil dropped from Tim's hand and he stared at Kate in terror...and agony as the EKG went haywire.

"What is it? Never mind." Kate ran into the hallway. "Help in here! There's something wrong!"

Doctors and nurses seemed to erupt from the very walls and swarmed on the ICU. Kate leaned in long enough to grab her stuff. Then, they were pulling the gurney out of the room. Kate pulled at a nurse.

"What happened?"

"Looks like a pulmonary embolism." Then, she ran down the hall.

"What's that?" Kate called after her...but no one answered. Kate paced back and forth for a few minutes and then, sat down in a chair to wait.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Ensign Moore, this thing just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it," Paula said. "We now have one of your buddies in custody...with two more on the way. How long do you think it will be before one of them caves? Hmm? Guess what happens to everyone else, when one caves. The others get _no_ deal."

Ensign Moore stared at the table. He had learned the folly of meeting Paula's gaze.

"Still nothing to say? Let me tell you. The margin is getting smaller and smaller and smaller...as is your jail cell. No?" Paula sighed. "All right, then." She stood up to go. She was at the door and halfway out into the hallway.

"Wait..."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Abby, I want you to check up on someone named Orgill at Norfolk, somehow connected to Tim."

"_Why don't you just get Tim to tell you?"_

"Well..."

"_What happened? Someone else attack him?"_

"No, Abby...but..."

"_But what?"_

"But something happened. I'm not sure what. I'm waiting."

"_Oh, no. Is he dying?"_

"I don't know," Kate said honestly. "I have no idea. All I know is that Orgill is not a case. It's something Tim must have witnessed, but I didn't get a chance to ask him. I'm going to stick around here until he comes out again. I'll let you all know."

"_Kate...don't let him die."_

"Abby, I don't have any control over that...but I'll do my best." Kate hung up and sat back in the chair, ready for a long wait.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Okay...okay," Abby said. "This is fine. Just a small hiccup. It's fine. It'll be just great."

She was pacing back and forth and Faith watched her with amusement.

"How can you be so _calm_?"

"Years of practice. Now, Orgill, you said?"

"Yeah. No first name, nothing to..."

"Well, do a search, Abby. I do believe you're good at that."

"Yeah."

"Yeah...so...get started."

"Right!" Abby flung herself at a computer and began to search.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"If I tell you what's going on, what does that mean for me?"

"It means that you might not be facing the death penalty for double homicide and as an accessory to the attempted murder of a federal agent. It means that, while you are undoubtably a piece of filth not worth even being scraped off the bottom of my shoe, your miserable life will be spared and you will be protected from reprisals."

Moore was quiet.

"What do you have to say, Moore? If you keep up this game, I'm not going to play...and I might just let it slip to your buddy Holmes that you were thinking of dealing."

"Okay, okay. Fine," Moore muttered. "I'll give you the list."

"The list?"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Orgill! Found him!" Abby announced.

"Where?"

"Theodore Roosevelt Orgill. Nice name, huh? Dishonorable discharge from the Navy because of theft. Caught by the one and only Timothy McGee," Abby said, bringing up the file.

"Circumstances?"

"Stealing ammunition and selling it on the street. First offense. Tim caught him in the act and brought it to the attention of his CO. Orgill was summarily dismissed from the Navy."

"Current location?"

"Unknown. Last known address was with his mother, but that was before he got discharged. Last year."

"Okay." Faith got out her notes. "I'll add him to my list. So far, I have placed the cell phones of Wilson, Symonds and Moore on each others' phone bills."

"Holmes?"

"Not yet. Still checking."

"Who else?"

"There are five different numbers that show up, on the other bills as well. I'm getting the listings."

Paula walked into the lab. "Moore caved."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He decided the death penalty and I were more dangerous than his pals."

"You're probably more frightening than the death penalty, Paula," Abby said.

"I hope so. I made a few calls before I came down here, just in case we can't get them all."

"Them all?"

"According to the soon-to-be-former Ensign Moore, there is a list of people who are on tap to be killed in various ways by different people. It's like some sort of murderous Fight Club...or maybe the bloodier version of _Dial M for Murder_."

"You really _are_ becoming Tony, Paula," Abby said.

Paula laughed. "Please, don't tell Tony. That's the last thing I need. Incidentally, it looks as though they were trying to get all the military stuff out of the way before moving on."

"Explain." Faith leaned forward.

"Moore doesn't have the names of all the participants, but they talk on the phone and they have a list of people. They sign up to kill the people they think they can get to and then that person is crossed off the list. This is round one in which they kill those to blame for jail time...or other major life changes. Tim is on the list. He was supposed to be beaten to death. Symonds and Wilson signed up, but I guess when Tim survived, they called in Holmes to finish the job. Orgill said he wanted it to be long and painful. There are two more people on the list, both civilians. I've put out notices, and I'll need you to start a search of who could be connected to them. Here's all the info I have."

"On it," Abby took the list and started to put in the search parameters.

"Where's Kate? I thought she'd be back by now."

"Something happened to Tim, not another attack, but something," Faith said. "Kate's waiting to see how he is."

"Oh, no."

The phone rang...and again...and again. Faith looked at them before answering it.

"Hi, Kate. Really? Now? Okay."

"What is it?"

"Kate thinks we should go over to the hospital."

"Why?" Abby asked in a small voice.


	7. Chapter 6: Descent

**Chapter 6: Descent**

_"The Sorores Genitae Nocte (Night-Born Sisters), divinities implacable, doom-laden . . . sat, guarding the dungeon's adamantine doors, and combed the black snakes hanging in their hair._

_Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 451 ff (trans. Melville)_

"How is he?" Abby asked, when they got there.

"He's better. He had a blood clot and we treated it, caught it in time. We're going to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't have any more clots, but hopefully, he's past the worst of it."

"He doesn't look any better," Paula said.

"He is. Trust me. On the inside, he's better."

Kate nodded. "Okay. We'll take your word for it." The doctor left and Kate sat down beside Tim once more, the others hovering around. "We figured it out, Tim. We're going to get all of them...but you have to get better because...what good is vengeance if you don't survive?"

Tim was silent, the ventilator moving the air into and out of his lungs, a slow, steady beat on the heart monitor.

"You've got to make it, Tim. You've got to. Can you imagine the trouble I'll get into with Gibbs if I got one of his team killed? He'd never forgive me."

There was only another click and another beep in response.

"We'll be back later...and I expect you to be awake, Tim. Got it?" Kate wiped away a few errant tears and left. Paula, Faith and Abby followed, intent on completing their tasks...punishing those who were responsible.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The arrests happened fairly quickly. The other men involved in the pact had been secure in their assurance of anonymity, and the FBI assisted NCIS in gathering up the participants. By the end of the day, there were ten men in custody, five at NCIS and the other five in the FBI lockup. Abby had finally been released from being shackled to her lab and had run to visit Tim. That left the Furies to themselves, sitting in the bullpen, in silence.

Paula and Kate were ostensibly typing up their reports. Faith was just sitting. She wouldn't be able to be involved in the prosecution of the cases, seeing as she was personally connected, but she could be there...and she was. Paula sat back after about ten minutes.

"Can you believe that it's only been just over a week?"

"It feels like a million years," Kate said.

"It's not over yet, though," Faith added.

"I know. Tim is...not out of the woods yet."

"When will he be?"

"I don't know. I wish I did."

Paula swore under her breath.

"I completely agree," Faith said. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't work for a reputable group. The mafia comes to mind as a viable alternative."

Kate laughed.

"It's like..." Paula covered her mouth. "Oh no."

"What?"

"I really _am_ becoming Tony. I almost quoted from _The Godfather_!"

Faith and Kate both started laughing.

"It's not funny! Tony is _contagious_!"

Kate was about to reply when her phone rang. She looked at the display.

"It's Abby."

The laughter stopped, vanished as if it had never existed.

Kate took a deep breath and answered.

"Hey, Abby. What is it?" There was a pause. "Okay. Okay. Thanks." She hung up.

"Well?" Paula asked.

For a moment Kate just looked at the two of them, but then, a relieved smile crossed her face.

"Abby said that Tim's awake...no sign of brain damage and his breathing is getting better. He'll be on a ventilator for a couple more days, but so far, there's no indication that he won't fully recover."

"That is probably the best news I've had all day. What do you say we finish up the reports tomorrow?" Paula suggested.

"I'm all for that," Faith agreed.

"You don't _have_ any reports."

"Your point?"

"Never mind. Let's go."

The Furies ran to the elevator.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Upon their arrival at the ICU, the three of them calmed themselves down and walked to Tim's bed with a gait reminiscent of _Charlie's Angels_. Abby laughed at their determinedly slow glide.

"You can be excited, guys. _I_ am."

"Abby if you were ever _not_ excited, I'd be worried," Kate said.

Tim smiled. His eyes showed that he was a bit drugged up, but he looked better.

"They have him on some pain medication. He's a little loopy, even if he can't tell you about it."

"Hey, Tim. Are you feeling any better?"

Tim nodded.

"Of course, he's feeling better. He's high!"

Tim shook his head in disagreement with Abby's assessment and then began writing on the pad of paper Abby had given him.

"Uh-oh. Tim's writing. Now, you'll get to see what I mean. He's just a tad out of it."

Tim rolled his eyes and finished writing. Then, he handed the pad to Abby who looked at it, laughed and passed it on.

"He wants to know everything you guys were doing."

"We were catching the people responsible for this, Tim. What else would we be doing?" Kate said, firmly.

Tim wrote, _Details!_

"He's annoyed that I didn't tell him everything."

"Well, why don't we remedy that?" Faith suggested. She settled down in the chair and began to explain what had happened. Tim was listening with rapt, albeit slightly goofy attention as Faith told him about the list of grievances, the men involved, how they had met at bars and begun planning revenge, how Ensign Moore had volunteered to take out the two JAG lawyers because he had been confident he could find them and do it quickly.

"You were right about Orgill, Tim," Kate added. "He carried quite the grudge and had requested a beating. You were supposed to die. It wasn't about us at all. It was just you."

Tim grimaced and wrote, _Lucky me._

"That's what you get for being the good guy."

_At least, I wasn't in it on my own._

"No. We wouldn't have left you. We had to find everything out for you. It was just our luck that it was all related."

Paula suddenly burst out, "_Strangers on a Train_! That's what the movie is. I've been trying to figure it out ever since Moore told me what was going on."

Everyone started laughing. Even Tim grinned but couldn't actually make any sound.

"I did it again. I have to get out of that desk. It's turning me into Tony."

Tim wrote once more. _You can sit in my desk, Paula. I won't be back for a few weeks._

Her smile faded when she read what Tim wrote.

"Tim, I'm so sorry this happened at all."

Tim shook his head and bent over his pad.

_Thanks for helping me out. You all are like my own personal Furies._

"Furies?" Faith asked.

Abby grinned mischievously. "Avenging spirits from Greco-Roman mythology. I told you he was loopy."

Kate, Faith and Paula looked at each other for a few seconds and then over at Tim.

"I'm okay with that designation," Faith said.

"Me, too," Kate agreed.

Paula nodded. "The Furies...okay."

"I think that we can bow out of that role for now," Kate said. "We caught the guys. Our job is done. We'll let you get some rest, Tim. See you tomorrow."

Tim waved and nodded at them as they left.

As one, the Furies left, their vengeance complete...justice served.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Three months later..._

Tim hung up his phone and smiled to himself. It was a good day. He was still feeling slight twinges in his chest, but his doctors had cleared him to return to work the next week, albeit only on desk duty. More importantly, he had finally felt well enough to repay a debt.

He owed some people his gratitude.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Who is it?" Kate asked through the door.

"I have a delivery for Kate Todd?"

"From where?"

"Silver Floral."

Kate furrowed her brow. If this was Tony's idea of a bad joke, she was not impressed. Still, she opened the door. A man stood there holding a bouquet of...

"What are these?"

"Red hibiscus...and... something white."

Kate smiled. "Thank you. I couldn't see _that_ for myself."

"Hey, I just deliver. I'm not a flower guy."

"Thank you." Kate took the bouquet and closed the door. There was a small note addressed to...

"Alecto?" Kate was confused now. She opened the card and as she read it, a smile crossed her face.

_Kate,_

_There are three Furies, each one with different attributes. Alecto means "unceasing" and her job was to avenge moral crimes, such as anger. The Furies are not evil...they are just, and in Greek mythology, they were the ones who would function as the executors of justice. Thank you for everything. I can't wait until I get to go back to work._

_Tim_

"Only you, Tim," Kate said, her smile wide. She smelled the flowers and went to look for a vase.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Lt. Cmdr. Faith Coleman?"

Faith didn't even look up. "Yes, that is the name on the door. So, you're either reading aloud or you are asking a question that is wasting both of our times. Which is it?"

"I have a delivery for you."

Faith looked up. There was a man holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Excuse me?"

"Flowers. For you. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I just drive them around."

The flowers were orchids, blue and white, and there was a card attached.

"Sign here, please?"

"Of course." Faith stood up and accepted them, noticing the glances she was getting from the people outside her office. Faith never got flowers. She looked at them again and then closed the door after the delivery guy had left. She sat down, looking at them carefully.

"Megaera?" she said aloud, reading the outside of the card. That struck something in her memory, but she wasn't sure what. So she opened the card and read, confusion turning swiftly to surprise and pleasure.

_Faith,_

_The story of the Furies is that they were born from the blood of Uranos. I won't tell you where the blood came from. One of them was named Megaera, meaning "jealousy" or "grudging". Like her fellow Erinyes, she was charged with enacting vengeance on those who had committed crimes, especially those based in envy. While you didn't do that in particular, I am more grateful than I can say for you saving my life...and accepting me during the time we worked together. Thank you, Faith._

_Tim_

"You're welcome, Tim," Faith said, softly.

There was a knock on her door and within about five seconds, Faith was back at work, but she didn't forget the flowers...or the words, and they made her smile.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Paula was on her way back to her apartment from her morning run when she saw a guy knocking at her door.

"Hey! What do you want?" she called.

He turned to her and she saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers, day lilies and lavender.

"Looking for Paula Cassidy."

"That's me."

"Special delivery. Sign here, please."

Paula signed for the flowers and took them inside, looking at them. It was an interesting combination, but she liked it. She quickly found the card and read the name on the outside.

"Tisiphone. Huh." Intrigued, she opened the card and started to laugh.

_Paula,_

_Tisiphone is one of the Erinyes, or the Furies. Her name means "avenging murder". She punished crimes of homicide. In addition, she was known in mythology as the guardian of the gates of Tartarus. As cruel as she appears to be in the stories, like her sisters, she is just and seeks only to punish the wicked. Thank you for everything. I don't think I could have survived without you all._

_Tim_

It was a perfect start to her day, and Paula quickly found a vase for the flowers. Throughout the day, she would look at them as she passed by. Every time she did, she smiled.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The Erinyes were feared in Greek mythology...and rightfully so. They were not to be swayed by pleas for mercy or by bribes. No matter what they would see justice done...and once justice had been served, the Furies would descend back down, across the River Styx and to the gates of Tartarus...

...where they would wait for another day.


End file.
